Michael Allan Patton was born on January 27,1968 and is an American singer, producer, film composer and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the alternative metal band Faith No More.
105 Facts About Mike Patton
2.
Mike Patton has worked as a producer or co-producer with artists such as Merzbow, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Sepultura, Melvins, Melt-Banana, and Kool Keith.
3.
Mike Patton co-founded Ipecac Recordings with Greg Werckman in 1999, and has run the label since.
4.
Mike Patton is stated as having a vocal range of six octaves.
5.
Mike Patton saw his largest success with the group Faith No More; although they scored one US hit, they scored three UK top 20 singles.
6.
Mike Patton has been cited as an influence by members of Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Five Finger Death Punch, Hoobastank, Incubus, Killswitch Engage, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Queens of the Stone Age, System of a Down, and Slipknot.
7.
Mike Patton was born in Eureka, California, to a social worker mother and a physical education teacher father.
8.
Mike Patton says he has written recreationally for as long as he can remember.
9.
Mike Patton studied at Eureka High School where he met bassist Trevor Dunn and later guitarist Trey Spruance, both members of its music theory class and jazz ensembles.
10.
Mike Patton got to know Dunn through trading records and they bonded over their studiousness, sarcastic humor and disaffection.
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Mike Patton enrolled in Humboldt State University, located in the nearby town of Arcata, California, to study English literature with plans to become a writer.
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Mike Patton performed very well in college and wrote numerous short stories of varied genres, while at the time music was an enjoyable yet not-too-serious hobby for Patton.
13.
At Humboldt, Mike Patton met his future band Faith No More during a 1986 show at a pizza parlor, where Mr Bungle played numerous times.
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From school to college, Mike Patton worked part-time at the only record store in Eureka until he joined Faith No More in 1988.
15.
In one interview, Mike Patton cited what he perceived as the declining quality of the band's work as a contributing factor to the split.
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Mike Patton is a member of Hemophiliac, in which he performs vocal effects along with John Zorn on saxophone and Ikue Mori on laptop electronics.
17.
Mike Patton has guested on Painkiller and Naked City recordings.
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Mike Patton has appeared on other Tzadik releases with Zorn and others, notably as part of the "Moonchild Trio" alongside Joey Baron and Trevor Dunn, named after Zorn's 2006 album on which the trio first appeared, Moonchild: Songs Without Words.
19.
In 1998, Mike Patton formed the metal supergroup Fantomas with guitarist Buzz Osborne, bassist Trevor Dunn, and drummer Dave Lombardo.
20.
In 1999, Mike Patton collaborated with Japanese experimental musician Merzbow on the album She, released under the name Maldoror.
21.
In 1999, Mike Patton met former The Jesus Lizard guitarist Duane Denison at a Mr Bungle concert in Nashville, and the two subsequently formed the band Tomahawk.
22.
Mike Patton performed vocals for Dillinger Escape Plan's 2002 EP, Irony Is a Dead Scene.
23.
In 2004, Mike Patton worked with Bjork and the beat boxer Rahzel on the album Medulla.
24.
That same year, Mike Patton released the album Romances with Kaada and contributed vocals to the album White People by Handsome Boy Modeling School.
25.
In 2005, Mike Patton collaborated with hip hop DJ trio and turntablists The X-Ecutioners to release the album General Mike Patton vs The X-Ecutioners.
26.
In February 2006, Mike Patton performed an operatic piece composed by Eyvind Kang, based on the 1582 work Cantus Circaeus by Giordano Bruno, at Teatro Comunale di Modena in Modena, Italy.
27.
Mike Patton sang alongside vocalist Jessika Kenney, and was accompanied by the Modern Brass Ensemble, Bologna Chamber Choir, and Alberto Capelli and Walter Zanetti on electric and acoustic guitars.
28.
Mike Patton's Peeping Tom album was released on May 30,2006, on his own Ipecac label.
29.
In December 2008, along with Melvins, Mike Patton co-curated an edition of the All Tomorrow's Parties Nightmare Before Christmas festival.
30.
Mike Patton chose half of the lineup and performed the album The Director's Cut in its entirety with Fantomas.
31.
In June 2009 Mike Patton and Fred Frith performed in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, England as part of that year's Meltdown Festival.
32.
On May 4,2010 Mondo Cane, where Mike Patton worked live with a 30-piece orchestra, was released by Ipecac Recordings.
33.
On June 18,2010, Mike Patton performed the 1965 work Laborintus II by classical composer Luciano Berio in Amsterdam, along with the orchestra Ictus Ensemble and vocal group Nederlands Kamerkoor.
34.
Mike Patton is a member of the supergroup Nevermen, alongside Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio and rapper Doseone.
35.
On December 27,2017, Mike Patton performed his collaborative EP, Irony Is a Dead Scene, as well as a cover of Faith No More's "Malpractice," with the Dillinger Escape Plan live at the band's first of three final shows at Terminal 5 in New York City.
36.
In May 2018, Mike Patton performed two concerts entitled Forgotten Songs in Modena, Italy, with the American pianist Uri Caine.
37.
On January 25,2020, Mike Patton joined Laurie Anderson and Rubin Kodheli at the SFJAZZ Center for a performance based on the 16th century military manual Quanjing Jieyao Pian by Qi Jiguang.
38.
In September 2021, Faith No More was scheduled to play shows but were cancelled due to Mike Patton citing mental health reasons.
39.
In 2005, Mike Patton signed on to compose the soundtrack for the independent movie Pinion, marking his debut scoring an American feature-length film.
40.
Mike Patton provided the voices of the monsters in the 2007 film I Am Legend starring Will Smith.
41.
In 2009, Mike Patton created the soundtrack to the movie Crank: High Voltage.
42.
Mike Patton composed the soundtrack to the 2012 film The Place Beyond the Pines.
43.
In 2016, Mike Patton provided the voice to lead character Eddy Table in a short animated film, The Absence of Eddy Table.
44.
Mike Patton is an avid video game player, especially with PlayStation consoles.
45.
Mike Patton reprised the role in The Darkness II in 2012.
46.
Mike Patton had a role in Valve's 2007 release Portal as the voice of the Anger Sphere in the final confrontation with the insane supercomputer, GLaDOS.
47.
Mike Patton has another role in the Valve title Left 4 Dead, voicing the majority of the infected zombies.
48.
Mike Patton voiced Nathan "Rad" Spencer, the main character in Capcom's 2009 video game Bionic Commando, a sequel to their classic NES title.
49.
On March 11,2021, Mike Patton lent his voice to a remake of the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song that was released as the trailer for the videogame, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge.
50.
Mike Patton achieved the first place in a May 2014 VVN Music's analysis ranking various rock and pop singers in order of their respective octave ranges.
51.
Mike Patton is enthusiastic about collaborating with other musicians, stating that "It is really what makes life interesting", but he only participates in projects he feels close to.
52.
Mike Patton is averse to that comparison, but he admitted that one of the few records he enjoyed from his parents' collection was from Zappa.
53.
On his method of composition for other musicians' pieces and filmmakers, Mike Patton said that the most important quality is to remain flexible and open to any style, as well as to always follow the vision of the author.
54.
Mike Patton's compositions are preceded by the study of the instrumentals, where he analyzes every instrument and their specific parts, and afterward focuses on "blending [his voice] into the band" rather than being at the forefront of the pieces.
55.
Mike Patton feels that the best recordings have the vocals "a little buried in the mix" as they interact with the other instruments.
56.
Mike Patton creates lyrics after hearing the instrumentals and, in the same way as the vocals, he approaches them depending on "what the music needs".
57.
Mike Patton realized the potential of his voice at the age of eight or nine by doing "things to get attention" at school.
58.
Mike Patton is mostly a self-taught musician and cannot read or write notation.
59.
Only once Mike Patton started to continually record himself and listened to these recordings, he was able to establish a foundation to shape his skills.
60.
Since he began to improvise with saxophonist John Zorn in 1991, along with his discoveries of Demetrio Stratos and Diamanda Galas, Mike Patton started broad explorations into extended vocal techniques and the limits of his voice, with him trying to match Zorn's "immense, bullheaded" range.
61.
Around the period that Mike Patton moved to Italy, he became acquainted with the singing method of opera teacher Nicola Vaccai, which he studied autodidactically for years, furthering his repertoire more.
62.
Mike Patton considers his work at a record store as crucial for his and Mr Bungle's evolution: upon his arrival, he "devour[ed]" extreme metal and punk rock music, all the while his coworkers introduced him to diverse artists who ranged from rap to reggae to folk rock and other genres.
63.
Mike Patton began his connections with easy listening through singer Sammy Davis Jr.
64.
Mike Patton disregarded this type of musician when he was younger, until he eventually "hear[d] new things" in them.
65.
Mike Patton held in high regard the Super Roots EP series by Boredoms, along with the albums A Fierce Pancake by Stump, Ozma by Melvins and Drop Dead by Siege.
66.
Mike Patton was a big admirer of industrial metal band Godflesh and invited its guitarist Justin Broadrick to join Faith No More after the departure of Jim Martin in 1993.
67.
In 1988, Mike Patton mentioned actor and comedian Steve Martin as an influence on Mr Bungle, and the singer would later state that he felt identified with him.
68.
Mike Patton credited disco band Village People for his use of irony and stage costumes, believing that "a lot of people [did not] understand [the band's deliberate sarcasm]".
69.
When he joined Faith No More, Mike Patton was "wound up tight" about matching his performances with the band's attitude.
70.
Mike Patton would develop shin splints because of his repeated jumps.
71.
Mike Patton learned to use his hand again, but has no feeling in it.
72.
In London, on March 10,2002, during the first live performance of Tomahawk Mike Patton started the show by appearing to urinate onto a security guard and photographers, much to the dismay of the press.
73.
At the San Francisco New Year's Day show with Mr Bungle in 1991, Mike Patton gave himself an enema and expelled it over the crowd.
74.
In 2001, the official website of progressive rock band Tool stated that, when Fantomas supported them in promotion of their Lateralus record, Mike Patton was stopped in Florida by airport security for carrying an extremely large amount of money.
75.
Mike Patton is a genuine rarity: someone who started at the top [with The Real Thing in 1989] and willingly worked his way down [through his artistic and public endeavors following it.
76.
Mike Patton's conviction [is] that the only thing in life that should be taken seriously is music.
77.
Mike Patton was an anti-rock-star rock star who, instead of blowing his head off like Kurt Cobain, just mocked the absurdity of it all.
78.
The cosmopolitan inclinations of Mike Patton are evident in his hobbies on tour, which include visiting local record stores and immersing himself in the culture of the areas.
79.
Accordingly, Mike Patton has spoken out against Americanization and the high esteem held by other countries for the United States.
80.
Since the establishment of Ipecac, Mike Patton has self-produced and self-released most of his catalog, including his new albums with Faith No More and Mr Bungle.
81.
Mike Patton expressed cynicism about the infamous lifestyles of rock stars.
82.
Mike Patton was fond of "play[ing] with" people whose "egos [got] tied in with" them, for example he constantly made fun of Anthony Kiedis in interviews after the latter accused him of stealing his style, and afterward did the same with new wave band INXS who became upset when Mike Patton laughed off an offer to join them.
83.
Around the turn of the millennium, there was a tribute album to Faith No More in progress that featured Disturbed, Deftones and several nu metal bands, but Mike Patton lampooned it in interviews as soon as he heard about it, statements that prompted its cancellation.
84.
In 2005, DJ magazine Big Shot contacted Mike Patton to interview dance music artist Moby, who was a fan of Fantomas, to promote his new album Hotel.
85.
Mike Patton accepted but decided not to hear the record in advance, and the conversation was awkward, with the singer describing Moby's material as "electronic wallpaper shit".
86.
Around 1992's Angel Dust, Mike Patton started to explore his "masculinity" through diverse anti-fashion styles.
87.
Fool For a Lifetime, all the members of Faith No More, excluding Mike Bordin, shaved their heads, which in the following months, for Patton, became "unkempt and overgrown, complementing a thick, lazy moustache".
88.
Mike Patton has sometimes varied them with "slightly hippier" attires or basketball jerseys.
89.
In later interviews, Mike Patton thought to have "gotten better" at dealing with admirers and reporters.
90.
However, things turned ugly between the two bands in 1989 when Kiedis accused Mosley's replacement, Mike Patton, of imitating his style on stage and in their music video for their biggest hit, "Epic".
91.
The relationship was thought to have improved in the ensuing years, with Kiedis and Mike Patton having face-to-face encounters in the 1990s that were described as friendly.
92.
Mike Patton interrupted this by shouting, "You can't shoot up a ghost".
93.
Mike Patton continued to mock Kiedis in the media with his new band Fantomas, calling him a "noodle dick" in a 2001 television interview.
94.
Mike Patton has referred to her as his "best friend" and says that "she probably understands [him] more than [he]" himself does.
95.
Until 2001, Mike Patton owned a home in Bologna and became a fluent speaker of Italian.
96.
Mike Patton was conversational in Spanish until the 1990s and still understands it.
97.
Mike Patton enjoys his privacy and maintains few deep relationships in his life.
98.
Mike Patton, who is addicted to coffee, has kept around three projects going on simultaneously throughout the years.
99.
In 2002, Mike Patton admitted that his hectic schedule had hindered some of his personal relationships, but nonetheless he emphasized that music is his priority.
100.
In 2022, Mike Patton disclosed that he was diagnosed as suffering from agoraphobia, which resulted in the cancellation of Faith No More and Mr Bungle performances in 2021.
101.
Mike Patton is not "so sensitive to musical climates" and believes that some of the best art tends to "fall through the cracks", thus he invests a considerable amount of time in search of non-mainstream artists.
102.
Since childhood, Mike Patton has been an avid fan of basketball team Los Angeles Lakers.
103.
Nonetheless, Mike Patton downplays his prominence with light-hearted self-deprecation, and was very critical of his earlier work.
104.
Mike Patton has often been credited as an influence to nu metal, a form of alternative metal spearheaded by bands such as Korn and Limp Bizkit in the late-90s.
105.
Mike Patton has been less than enthusiastic about being linked to such bands, stating in a 2002 interview that "Nu-metal makes my stomach turn".